


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by TrainRush



Series: Honey I’m Home AU [1]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:06:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21961822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrainRush/pseuds/TrainRush
Summary: It’s Christmas.-This work is a part ofHoney I’m Home AU, the parts of which are not posted chronologically according to the series of events. Proceed carefully.
Series: Honey I’m Home AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581028
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It was truly, as the old song goes, the most wonderful time of the year.

Despite its appearance, Dead Bird was anything but an arid place, instead having a very moderate climate. In fact, on this Christmas Day, the clouds decided to shed snow. The snowflakes blanketed the buildings and roads, painting the town a blinding white. And, like birds to branches, the children flocked to the ice. The young ones’ screams of joy filled the streets. Snowball fights turned to brawls. The parents, whilst supervising their children, admired the glittering light displays of the town. Every building was strewn with bright, colorful decorations in celebration of the holiday. The wonderful bliss of the festivities danced and sang in their hearts, and almost no bird could resist a smile.

Almost.

For deep in the basement of Dead Bird Studio that day, DJ Grooves festered away, drowning in his own tears.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been down there. _No one_ knew how long he’d been down there. Was he eating? Was he sleeping? He wouldn’t let anyone get near him, how could they know? Nothing had been the same since—

Look away, and you will notice how the children sing. Their singsong carols bound through the streets, bringing sweet melodies to the peoples’ ears. As their charming choruses conclude, the passerby politely applaud. But why? Why do they clap? Has the performance truly impacted them so deeply? Not quite: the carols bring them a certain kind of holiday joy. They clap because they are happy. Everyone is happy. So why couldn’t _they_ be happy?

Upon turning one’s direction back to our sobbing moon penguin (please try _not_ to look away this time), you might notice a slip of paper sitting neglected across from him on his desk. A note. It was so tightly and neatly folded, one could never guess how shaky the hands of its author were. Not only shaky, but uncertain hands, too. Uncertainty stemming not from planting the note on his bed before leaving, but rather of death. Everyone is at least a little afraid of death, after all.

Oh, how DJ Grooves wished that fear could have overridden the Conductor’s decision. But it hadn’t. He was gone, and the moon penguin was spending Christmas alone.

He couldn’t help but feel that he should have done something. He should have stayed with him a little bit longer. He should have noticed that perpetual look of absence on his face. He should have reminded him that he cared one last time before they parted that night. But as much as he willed himself to, DJ Grooves could not change the past. As the day bore on and the festivities outside continued, nothing could change the fact that the Conductor was not coming back. That the suicide note left behind five days ago was exactly that. That the moon penguin would be celebrating Christmas alone.

 _You’re horrible. You know that, right?_ A voice spoke up in his head. _You let him die. He’s gone, and you did nothing to stop him._ It got louder. _Did you hear that? You’re awful. You should be sick of yourself. I bet he doesn’t miss you. Why would he? You had the power to keep him alive, and you didn’t. You_ **_failed._ ** _You failed_ **_him,_ ** _you failed_ **_yourself_ ** _— peck, you failed_ **_everyone. He’s dead, and it’s your fault._ **

…

A thought struck his mind. A crazy one at that, but an idea nonetheless.

Slowly, DJ Grooves brought himself to dry his tears. Straighten his posture a bit. Bring himself to his feet and out of his office. The halls were freezing. He layered on some warmer clothes and slipped out of the basement. It wasn’t even like he needed to be discreet; the studio had been closed almost all week.

After exiting through one of the back doors, he looked around. The roads were covered in ice, and even the lesser known paths were clogged with snow. It would be a difficult drive, but he could handle it. He would have to. The freezing breeze slashed his face as he made his way to his car.

Indeed, the drive was long and arduous, but after what felt like an eternity, DJ Grooves stopped about a quarter of a mile short of the Subcon border. He trudged through the snow for the rest of the way there, ignoring the ‘Turn back!’ and ‘Your life matters!’ signs sticking from the ground. That wasn’t why he was there.

When he noticed the exact line on the ground where the flowers began to die, the moon penguin stopped, leaning against a nearby boulder. As glistening white snow fell and the breeze whistled, DJ Grooves stared into the murky darkness of Subcon Forest. He knew near nothing of what lay in the shadows, yet he watched them dance with a gaze only barely allowing hope. His hope dwindled and eventually fell, and tears streamed down his face. He felt his heart break all over again as he sobbed into his scarf.

After a few minutes, DJ Grooves slowly recomposed himself. As he gazed into the face of Subcon, he spoke a single phrase to the wind.

“Merry Christmas.”

His voice broke. The scattered pieces drifted on the breeze, traveling through the forest for not a single soul to hear. His words were met with only silence.

Yes.

Merry Christmas, Conductor.

And a happy new year.

**Author's Note:**

> _“Since it is widely known that no one returns from Subcon Forest, it is a common method of suicide for those who live nearby (primarily around Dead Bird).”_
> 
> —
> 
> the only reason this didn’t end up in the oneshot book is because it’s a part of HIH!AU.
> 
> anyways merry one-day-late christmas :)


End file.
